HP demands aid for alternative crops in cannabis growing areas

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government on Monday urged the Centre to provide liberal technical, financial and logistic assistance to the state to promote cultivation of alternative crops in mid-Himalayan districts of Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Shimla to wean away the local people from growing cannabis.
At a conference in Delhi on Administrative Reforms Commission report on "Public Order", Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the state are required to be raised by better training, providing modern equipment and giving adequate financial assistance to address the problem of drug trafficking.

He requested the central government to keep the state in `A` category like Jammu and Kashmir and North East for liberal financial funding on 90:10 ratio (centre and state) and pointed out that the new Modernisation of Police Force scheme has put the state in the category of states eligible for central-state contribution in the ratio of 60:40.